6: St. Louis for Supper
We must have taken a wrong turn because we ended up in St. Louis by supper time. Nudge called out, "Look! What's that arch? Max Do you know? It looks big, like a monument. Like the Washington Monument back in DC. But this is an arch and it's like darker-"
"That's the St. Louis Gateway Arch. It means we're almost to Illinois," I explained.
"Can we go see it? Please Max?! Please?" Angel gave me the puppy dog face. I hate when she does that.
"Please..," the Gasman joined in.
"That's not gonna work this time sweetie, sorry," I told her. Then my stomach growled. Okay...I thought, but only because it's dinner time.
"Thanks Max!" she said, having obviously read my mind.
"We'll stop here for dinner. We'll have a little pick-nick so you kids can see the Arch," I said out loud.
We landed and ate lunch meat sandwiches, and finished off whatever else we had left to eat. Fang and Iggy went to the store to pick up some food for the mourning.
"It's so big!" Nudge said standing in front of the monument. "Can we go up in it please?"
"But it cost money, and we don't have a lot of cash on us right now," I explained to her. They obviously didn't understand the concept of money yet and I didn't want to use the credit card we received to take out any money unless we absolutely needed it. That was probably how we were being tracked.
"Okay..." they sighed. I hate to let them down, because they're just kids. But I am the leader, and it is my job to protect them and make sure they survive.
"Besides, it's only a viewing tower thing with an elevator, and we already saw the city at great heights. Why would you want to go up and see it again? That's kind of redundant." Also they would like being stuck in an elevator with a bunch of people for a few minutes. We're kind of claustrophobic because we used to have to live in dog kennels.
"I guess that makes sense...This sandwich rocks! I love turkey, it taste so good..." Nudge rambled. She chomped down her sandwich in about four bites.
"Look, we got a lot going on and we're trying to get to some girl who could help us. Then we have to save the world. After that's over with, maybe we could have as much fun as we want. But right now we got some work on our hands," I lied it flat out to them. Fight now, fun later.
Footsteps came from behind us, and I had an idea who they were. "Boo!" yelled Fang and Iggy. Total barked. Gazzy and Angel screamed. Nudge screamed twice as long and twice as loud. Gee...that scare was unexpected.
No, they like to pull pranks. But usually it's Gazzy and Iggy. Not Fang so much. "That was so scary, I forgot to scream," I said sarcastically.
"I knew they were going to do that. I just felt like screaming, it's fun. And that's why I did," protested Angel.
"So, what'd you buy?" I asked.
"The usual. Bacon, eggs, and pancake mix. And a couple of other little things," Iggy said.
"Pancake mix!?" Gazzy exclaimed. His eyes lit up.
"Yeah, you know. The flat cakes you make in a frying pan," teased Fang.
"He knows what they are," I said. "Everybody done? Because I want to get somewhere in the next state before dark. And I want to get to Chicago by sometime tomorrow."
Everybody was ready to go. We waved by to St. Louis from the sky. We were past Spring Field by night fall. But we slept somewhere thirty miles south of Chicago that night. We stayed in the branches of a big maple tree and all said our good nights. Fang had the first watch. I was too exhausted to have any watch. Sweet dreams, Max, interrupted the Voice in my moment of peace. Sweet dream to you too.